Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them.
English Standard Version (ESV)
This parable highlights that the thorns weren't necessarily obvious when the seed was sown; they were often hidden beneath the surface, ready to grow alongside the good seed. This means the struggle isn't always against visible, external enemies, but often against the hidden, "thorny" distractions and desires within us that compete for our spiritual energy and growth.
Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Jesus is explaining the Parable of the Sower, detailing different kinds of soil where the seed (representing God's word) falls. This particular seed lands in ground where thorns and weeds are already present, unseen beneath the surface, and their rapid growth soon overtakes and suffocates the precious crop. This illustrates how worldly distractions and desires can choke out the spiritual life of someone who hears the message but doesn't let it take deep root.
We hear the Word, and it seems to take root. But sometimes, what's hidden beneath the surface can sabotage our spiritual growth.
This parable highlights seeds falling 'among thorns.' The key insight here isn't just that thorns exist, but that they were already there, lurking beneath the soil. Even with imperfect clearing, their roots remained, ready to spring up once the seed began to grow.
This represents people who hear God's Word, and there's a genuine initial response. But underlying issues – like hidden anxieties, unresolved bitterness, or deeply ingrained worldly ambitions – were not truly dealt with. These 'roots' of distraction lie dormant until spiritual life begins to stir, then they shoot up and compete for the life the seed needs to flourish.
Sometimes, spiritual growth isn't destroyed in a sudden storm, but slowly suffocated by competing priorities.
Unlike the seed on the hard path, which is snatched away immediately, or the rocky ground seed, which withers quickly, the seed among thorns initially grows. It sprouts, showing promise! But the thorns grow alongside it, 'choking' it.
This 'choking' is a slow, suffocating process. It's not an outright rejection of God's Word, but a gradual diverting of energy and attention. Worldly concerns, the pursuit of comfort, or even good things that become ultimate things, slowly crowd out the space needed for deep, vibrant spiritual life. The Word is present, but it's being squeezed, unable to mature into the fruitful life God intends.
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Understand the original words
akantha · Greek Noun
Often symbolic of the cares, riches, and pleasures of the world that distract the heart from the truth of the Gospel. They represent spiritual competition that eventually stifles the development of faith.
apnigō · Greek Verb
To prevent growth or life; used to describe how worldly concerns, anxieties, or sinful patterns gain control and effectively kill the fruit-bearing potential of the Gospel in a person's life.
This parallel account in Luke explicitly states that the 'thorns' represent those who hear the message but are choked by life's worries, pleasures, and pursuits, preventing the word from maturing.
Hebrews 6:7-8This passage uses the imagery of land that receives rain but produces thorns and thistles, leading to its worthlessness, paralleling how the good seed (the Word) is unfruitful when choked by surrounding 'thorns'.
1 Timothy 6:17-19Here, Paul warns against the deceitfulness of riches, which can choke the Word and make faith unproductive, echoing the idea that worldly concerns can strangle spiritual growth.
Galatians 5:19-21This passage lists 'works of the flesh' like strife, jealousy, and anger, which, if allowed to grow, would choke out the fruit of the Spirit, much like the thorns choked the good seed.
barnesMatthew 13:7: "And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprung up, and choked them:"
Among thorns - That is, in a part of the field where the thorns and shrubs had been imperfectly cleared away and not destroyed. They grew with the grain, crowded it, shaded it, exhausted the earth, and thus choked it.
vincentMatthew 13:7: "And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprung up, and choked them:"
Sprang upThe seed, therefore, fell, not among standing thorns, but among those beneath the surface, ready to spring up.Trench ("Parables") cites a striking parallel from Ovid, describing the obstacles to the growth of the grain:"Now the too ardent sun, vow furious showers,With baleful stars and bitter winds combineThe crop to ravage; while the greedy fowlSnatch the strewn seeds; and grass with stubborn roots,…
This parable highlights that the thorns weren't necessarily obvious when the seed was sown; they were often hidden beneath the surface, ready to grow alongside the good seed. This means the struggle isn't always against visible, external enemies, but often against the hidden, "thorny" distractions and desires within us that compete for our spiritual energy and growth.
Jesus is explaining the Parable of the Sower, detailing different kinds of soil where the seed (representing God's word) falls. This particular seed lands in ground where thorns and weeds are already present, unseen beneath the surface, and their rapid growth soon overtakes and suffocates the precious crop. This illustrates how worldly distractions and desires can choke out the spiritual life of someone who hears the message but doesn't let it take deep root.
Jesus is explaining the Parable of the Sower, detailing different kinds of soil where the seed (representing God's word) falls. This particular seed lands in ground where thorns and weeds are already present, unseen beneath the surface, and their rapid growth soon overtakes and suffocates the precious crop. This illustrates how worldly distractions and desires can choke out the spiritual life of someone who hears the message but doesn't let it take deep root.
"Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them." — This parable highlights that the thorns weren't necessarily obvious when the seed was sown; they were often hidden beneath the surface, ready to grow alongside the good seed. This means the struggle…
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Last reviewed October 2026